Suicide Prevention Toolkit

Suicide Prevention Toolkit

Suicide Prevention Toolkit

This Suicide Prevention Toolkit, helps senior leaders, line managers, HR and occupational health professionals identify staff members who may have suicidal feelings and gives practical advice on how to deal with a crisis situation. It was produced in partnership with Public Health England and supported by Samaritans. This toolkit will help embed suicide prevention strategies in your organisation’s health and wellbeing policies, guide your approach to supporting those at risk and act as a resource to provide support across your workforce.

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Preventing employee suicide

Key elements of a workplace suicide prevention programme might include:

  • A work environment that values its employees and their families, and promotes respect, open communication, a sense of belonging, emotional wellbeing, and encourages people to seek help when they need it and to support each other.
  • A plan for responding to a suicide attempt or death.
  • Helplines with national reach and issue focus are signposted across the workplace, such as Samaritans and national domestic violence helplines.
  • Specialised suicide awareness and prevention training for the workplace’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providers and/or HR staff.
  • Clear policies, procedures and practical guidance to help employees who need support around issues including mental health, long-term health, domestic violence and financial insecurity.
  • Internal communications and induction programmes that ensure employee are aware of resources and support available and that these are accessible to everyone.
  • Education and training on mental health, including suicide awareness, for all employees especially line managers.

Employers have a crucial role to play in suicide prevention. People in work spend about one-third of their lives at their place of employment. Colleagues and line managers can provide an important social and emotional support network, built on shared experiences. Employers are in a unique position to help colleagues understand the importance of wellbeing and good mental health, and the knowledge of how to keep safe and well and how to spot the signs of being unwell.

This toolkit is designed to help organisations adopt a strategy to reduce the risk of a suicide that will have an impact on the workplace. In this context, the term ‘workplace suicide’ is understood to be a suicide in or outside the workplace, which may involve an employee or contractor, or a family member or close friend of an employee or contractor. It may also concern a significant customer or supplier, or a person who is important to the organisation, such as a union representative.

Explore all eight BITC and Public Health England Health and Wellbeing Toolkits

Developed by Business in the Community in collaboration with Public Health England (PHE), this suite of eight toolkits, available below, helps employers take positive actions to build a culture that champions good mental and physical health for employees. The toolkits also provide a greater understanding of how to help those who need more support.

Explore the topical toolkits below, and explore the Health and Wellbeing at Work toolkit for a summary resource of all seven other toolkits.

Crisis Management In The Event Of A Suicide: A Postvention Toolkit For Employers, developed with support from Samaritans, offers practical advice for employers to follow in the aftermath of an employee suicide.

Domestic Abuse Toolkit. This toolkit, sponsored by The Insurance Charities, provides support and guidance for employers in responding to the risk of domestic abuse.

Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco: A Toolkit For Employers. Supporting your employees wellbeing to reduce sickness, absence, and improve mental wellbeing and productivity.

Mental Health for Employers Toolkit. This toolkit helps employers select the most valuable resources, and  to develop an approach that works. For larger organisations, the toolkit is also a useful resource to share with businesses in their supply chain and across their network.

Good musculoskeletal (MSK) health is integral to a full working life. It supports us with functional mobility and dexterity, balance and coordination, and contributes to muscular strength and endurance; essential to nearly all forms of work. It also enables us to stay physically and mentally fit and reduce the occurrence of other health problems. Action should be taken at all ages to invest in enhancing education, awareness and opportunities to engage in understanding good MSK health and how to reduce the risks of developing an MSK problem.

We are currently in the processes of refreshing this resource to reflect shifting needs of UK employers and employees.

Reducing the risk of suicide. This toolkit provides support and advice on how to incorporate suicide prevention into an employer’s workplace health and wellbeing framework. It was developed with support from Samaritans.

Sleep and Recovery Toolkit. This toolkit sponsored by Anglian Water, offers insight and advice on addressing the increasingly damaging sleep-loss epidemic affecting the nation.